Experienced DM, offering 2-3 spots in Phandelver

The game has been filled at this time. Thank you all who submitted applications.  Greetings Adventurers! My name is Cody and I am currently looking to fill 2 or 3 spots in an upcoming game, The Lost Mines of Phandelver (D&D starter box). I have a pair of long time friends (husband and wife) that are interested in learning to play 5e. As such, I will be running the LMoP and need to fill out the party. I thought it would be nice to extend an invite here to some new players, who may have been looking to get into a game for a while. This will be a long post, but hopefully it should set the right expectations with people and avoid having to answer these questions over and over later on. Now I need to mention a few things about the game first. I will be streaming the game on my Twitch feed and possibly posting the video on YouTube, so first and foremost you would need to be comfortable with this before applying. The game would be ran on a Sunday between 1:00 - 5:00 pm CDT; we are currently looking at either 05/01 or 05/08. As we will be streaming, I must ask players be able to utilize both video and voice, and have an acceptable webcam and decent headset-- please do not try and use your webcam mic. I apologize for any people with disabilities out there that may disqualify. Truly. Tone: The tone I would like the game to have is a fun one. What I am looking for are people that would like to 'go for it'. This is hard for me to describe, but ultimately I am not looking for people who are going to be timid. If you have never played before, that's ok. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. When people start roleplaying around you and using character voices, it's ok to laugh and make jokes! But don't think that your attempt speaking in character is going to be judged if it's 'not as good'. As such I ask that you not be overly critical of the other players, or make them feel embarrassed for trying to Roleplay themselves. My games are to always be considered safe places. No exceptions. Pacing: It is my job as the DM to handle pacing. I may summarize from time to time or describe what your character is doing based off of what you tell me you are doing. Please just go with the flow.  Awareness: If you play with us, please play actively. By this I mean to be engaged in the story, don't be distracted by outside influences (facebook), and to most importantly be conscientious of sharing the spotlight. Again, I don't mean to be timid, but don't be too over-zealous. Rules: There should not be many issues with rulings, as I am fairly familiar with 5e now. But if I make a ruling, please just go with it. I promise I'm not out to get your character. Or maybe I am... who knows really? Death: Your character may very well not make it to the end of the adventure. That's ok! If you are new to the game, I'll give you a tip... character deaths are far more memorable years down the road than just another fight with kobolds. Trust me. If you die, please try and have fun with it, and be supportive to the rest of the group for the remainder of the game.  Restrictions: Please only official classes/races from WotC published books. No 3rd party, Unearthed Arcana, DM Guild, Aarakocra, or class archetypes with animal companions. Sorry, but the birds are just silly and animal companions tend to slow down the game. Age & Language: We are in our late 20's and early 30's. I will consider all age groups fairly. Please note, the game is intended for adults. Some adult language may be used in game, though I doubt to any degree that might be considered excessive. Please take this into consideration. Now let's talk about the slots. I am looking for two NEW player slots and hopefully one solid VETERAN slot. I will fairly consider all female applicants as well, so please don't be afraid to apply. Again, the two players already signed up are a husband and wife duo. I mention this as I understand this can make gaming environments a little more comfortable for some.  Two new player slots. I would like to find two new players that are genuinely interested in getting into Dungeons and Dragons. While this is a new-player friendly game, we don't want to be teaching all of the rules at the game itself; though I'm not foolish to think you'll have all of the rules down come game time. If you own a Player's Handbook already and are itching to get into your first game (or second or third), and you feel really intrigued by the idea of roleplaying a character and trying a cool voice... you're who I want. I want a couple of players who will cut loose but still be courteous, can handle a bit of direction, works well in a group, and loves to be creative.  Applying: Give me a few sentences of your background, if you've played before, your familiarity with Roll20, and why you would like to join. ONLY if you are comfortable, you can include your age and gender; please I do not want your location, I don't need or want it. If you want you can also include what class you would like to play and if you are comfortable speaking in character. Or whatever else I missed. Please put "(New player) application - [yourname]" in the subject line in any messages or at the beginning of your post below. Veteran player slot. I would also like to add one solid vet to the game. I am looking for a vet to back me up and assist where needed-- in rules, roleplay, and game pacing. I really need a vet that will help the new players open up and engage them when RPing. Someone who can lead by example, but ultimately, be a teacher not a spotlight hog. Don't argue with me if you feel I missed something. If you have a YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, etc... I would be happy to do some cross-promotion for you for your help. Applying: Vets, if applying to the game, I want pretty much the same as the new players, except give me a great character as well. You may end up bumping to something else when we actually play, but I'd like to get a quick idea of your creativity. I also would like to know why you would make a good right-hand-man/woman. Thanks all! I look forward to hearing from you. Cody Taking20 @takingd20

Quick bump for the evening crowd.

I sent you a PM with my details!

(New player) application - Mike Hi Cody, I'm 28 years old and married with a baby girl on the way.  I've played a tiny bit of 5e before my wife and I moved to another city, so I know the basics and have a player handbook.  Mostly my D&D knowledge comes from Critical Role and Acquisitions Inc.  This is my only my second application to join a game on Roll20, the first seems to be lost in an endless sea of applications.  I feel I would be fairly comfortable role-playing and speaking in character.  I have a headset and web cam and as of now, free to play any time (also in CDT).   Thanks for reading!

(veteran slot) application - Memo Hello Cody and all other prospective players! I am a newcomer to the d20 system, but a veteran table top DM and player. I have DMed and played DnD 5e on a regular basis for about a year now and have many fun filled (and some not so fun filled) campaigns under my belt. As a fellow DM, I understand that the ultimate goal of a session is simply put to HAVE FUN. How players have fun depends on what they want from the game. Some players want different things. Some want power gaming and number crunching. Some want romance, intrigue and roleplay. Most new players don't know what they yet want. It is up to the DM and veteran players to step in and help these new players and make sure that their first time playing DnD is FUN. Because in the end that is what really matters. I am a veteran player that not only brings a wealth 5e rule knowledge to the table, but also an understanding of what is most important about a campaign session. Speaking from experience, I find that the most enjoyable times in my time playing tabletop games have been when I was able coordinate with fellow players and accomplish goals with teamwork and synergy. This allows me to highlight the strong points of each character and by extension their player. This allows for a smoother learning phase for new players because they feel that they are an essential part of the team. It also builds trust and competency between players and ultimately leads to the session being MORE FUN. Oh, and here is my little creative spotlight. I have been recently toying with the idea of building a "Mute Bard." This Bard would only be able to interact with the group using hand gestures and and facial expressions while in character. If the Mute Bard wants to communicate something to a fellow in-game character, then the bard would have to play a short game of charades. This would allow for a small microcosm of fun game interaction between players during the session. Also mechanically speaking, the bard would not be able to use spells with verbal components on  their own. Instead I would make the bard hold up a sign of what she wants to say, and then have the other players speak the verbal components of the spell for her as a free action. For example, While playing this bard and casting the spell "Vicious mockery", I would hold up a literal pre-made sign out of game to my fellow players. This sign would have things on it like "Yip in Hell Kobolds" or "Your mama is so fat..." or anything equally silly. The players would speak this line for the Bard so that she could cast her spells. Players could even choose their own insults to fulfill the verbal component requirements. Overall, this would be a fun way to increase player interaction and creativity within the session.